The Rants & Rambles of A Grumpy Old Dude

Happy 100

This is my one-hundredth post. To some of the bloggers I follow, that would be ho-hum. The way they pump posts out, that could have been accomplished in a couple of months. It has taken me ten months to get this far. I started slow, then tapered off.

I knew I wasn’t ever going to set the world on fire literately. In fact, when I started, I wondered if I would attract any readers other than the few bloggers I had been bedevilling with comments on their posts. Like other aspects of my life, I later found that I was doing the right things by instinct, to attract readers and followers. Seldom able to keep my mouth shut, or my fingers still, I went further and further afield and made comments on a variety of blogs. I later read from WordPress, that this is a good way to attract followers. I’ve never actually been told to mind my own business, although there have been a couple of curt and dismissive responses.

I try not to antagonise anyone on their home turf, even when I disagree with them. That’s not a problem with my core group. For as much as we are all different, it is intriguing, how much we are the same.

I sit safely in the *average* slot, as far as bloggers go. I visit other sites which have only a couple of followers and often several consecutive posts, before anyone makes a comment. I’m not a Byronic Man, a BrainRants or a Madame Weebles, with hundreds, or thousands of followers, and a comment thread like a papyrus scroll. I have managed to acquire almost 60 followers, a small cloud of *likes* on each post, and intelligent, insightful and supportive comments from a nice bunch of folks. More ho-hum, but I’m closing in on 4000 hits.

I only post every two to four days, so my normal daily readership runs from ten to forty. My best day was 71 hits, and that was for a little throw-away acceptance speech for a blog award. I’m not worried by it, but I am perplexed that, after ten months on the WordPress scene, I recently had two days, just over a week apart, when no-one came to visit. I’ve had onesies and twosies, but I really got lonely a couple of times. I had to go bug some other bloggers.

Bloggers disappear from the scene all the time. I’m sure some of them are like me; they have a limited number of things they wish to post about and just run out of ideas. My wife recently commented that the number of letters-to-the-editor I submit has dropped. Of course, six to eight op/ed pieces a year don’t add much when the blog count hits a hundred. I still write down potential post themes when one penetrates my thick skull. I know I’ll get to my anniversary blog, but may have to space my posts out a bit more.

I’m not a rabid numerologist. I get a kick out of catching my digital watch at 3:33:33, or 11:11:11, or 12:34:56, but I’m enough of a realist to know that blog number 100 really is no more special than number 99 or 101. It is a small milestone that I am happy to have reached, with the support of my select little cadre of readers and followers.

I’m typing one-handed right now. No! Not because I’ve been viewing porn. I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder, patting myself on the back for getting this far. I’ve had four blog awards thrust upon me, but that’s like contracting mono. There are so many awards drifting around at any one time, you’d have to be a blog-virgin not to get at least one, but it is nice to know that I am noticed and appreciated.

I just visited aFrankangle’s blog, and was treated to a large dose of reality. It was tempered with a small platter of pleasure. I got to Frank’s site just in time to see his 1000th post. I have got soooo far to go. Frank also revealed that my grumpy American curmudgeon counterpart, the much respected, and until now, blogless, John Erickson, slipped and has finally fallen into the blog pool. It’s thyme to visit the sage of Ohio at www.windycitywonderer.wordpress.com.

To all who have tolerated me, taught me, led me, and even encouraged me, I give again, a huge thank-you. Since I have to live so much inside my head, it is pleasant to have such nice neighbors.

When I first started blogging two and a half years ago, Arcon, I had a fascination with the hits, but that’s virtually gone now. I find inspiration occurring less frequently for my own blogs, but still pretty consistent for commenting on others’ posts. Maybe it’s evolution of some kind. I think the number of opinions in me is finite, and that’s probably a good thing.

I enjoy your posts. Usually. (Don’t want you to get the big head here.) 🙂

Getting the inspiration for the *keep writing* is one problem. Another is that I just turned 68. At 100 posts/ten months, I’ll be almost 80 before I collide with that barrier. I’m going to start stirring in some humour, but the Mayans may put me out of your misery.

Shucks, Archon. Thanks for the shoutout! I like your posts very much—some of my favorite bloggers have very few Likes and Comments, and it doesn’t make them any less wonderful to read. Here’s to another 100!

You are a centurion!
In cricket, a century is seen as a real accomplishment and those that reach this age receive their telegram from the monarch – although that’s not my idea of fun 🙂
You have a nicely understated and considered style that is refreshing, and we all know quality will always trump quantity.
Keep it up my friend, many congratulations, and here’s to the next hundred!

Way to go, Archon! I like your sweet posts as much as the ranty ones! You are honest and have a no-bullshit attitude and you sneak in some surprise humor (like the porn reference caught me off guard and I laughed until I hurt myself). I think you do a great job and I’m glad we are friends. Keep on truckin’.

Hey, Congratulations!! Also, you already have more followers than I had in my first year, so that’s, um great. Cause I’m not jealous or anything like that. Yeah, great, sure. 🙂 Of course I’m teasing!

I am one who had to cut back on my time spent reading blogs, so now I’m hitting people once a week. But I think I’m going to have to put yours back on “instant notification”, because I don’t want to keep stopping by so late!

Dad, I had no idea how far you would or would not go when I got you signed up for this blogging thing… Congrats on getting to 100 and getting the chance to share the wit and humour I have grown up with in a venue for others to enjoy too

Thanx kid, for introducing me to this bunch of nice people. They inform, support, educate, entertain and accept both my seriousness and silliness. I will continue to do what little I can to return the favors.

It’s so much easier to keep up with blogs that only post every few days. You are doing great! I officially started my blog last June, blogged for two months, stopped, then started back up in March 2012. I just hit 100 posts at the beginning of September which means it took me over a year to get to that point.

A character in a comic strip recently stated that there are two things which make a great manager. One is persistence. The other is knowing when to quit. You’ve done both, and lived to tell the tale. Let’s both of us continue to dazzle ’em with our awesomesauceness!

Let me be among those to congratulate you on the big 100. It is no easy feat, especially when you produce quality writing. 60 followers is nothing to sneeze at either. I am finally taking my best friend/editors advice and reading more blogs of other people, commenting more and being part of things.
Nice mention of Byronic, who is excellent. I am also a fan of The Good Greatsby.
Interesting to note when I started blogging via wordpress, I looked at lots of other blogs.Prior to this I thought I was the blogging equivalent of Tony Manero at the disco in Saturday Night Fever. Boy was I ever brought back to earth reading some of these guys. But being humbled was good for me. I saw new styles, met some very cool people, learned from the stronger and the weaker writers.

Way to go. Don’t diminsh getting to the big 100. Anyone who knows what it’s like, knows this is substantial.